Perhaps the most trying task would be choosing a gift for the singular person who knows you more than yourself — your mom! A Herculean task it would be to pay tribute to a mom’s job — the most thankless, full-time occupation, which is also the most priceless and irreplaceable relationship.

I vehemently exhort the fact that every day should celebrate the bond you share with your mother, yet, caught up in the frenzied pace of our lives, we forget to pay due homage to the one woman who is responsible for who and where we are.

Thus, that’s all the more reason to celebrate special moments in your mother’s life like her birthday, anniversary and undoubtedly, the universal celebration of motherhood — Mother’s Day on May 8.

Go ahead, make your mom’s day extra special

What’s your mom’s cup of tea?

If my kids were to gift me a pen or a book, I’d be ecstatic! That’s because I love to write and am a voracious reader! We usually look at our moms as a ‘mom’ and not as a woman who has her own set of interests, idiosyncrasies and unique identity.

The key is to give your mom a present which is in sync with her interests and inclination. If your mom loves to dress up, splurge on branded lawn out of the truckloads of variety to choose from. If she loves to sew maybe a seamstress set, or a potted plant to hang in the window if she has a green thumb, would do the trick.

For a homemaker

If your mom’s a homemaker and devotes her time and energy to making your house a place where you love to return to, she will love getting a rug, bedspread or a frame to put on a shelf to beautify the domestic hearth. If she’s a wonderful cook and enjoys her time in the kitchen, then a state-of-the-art electrical appliance or knife set might woo her. Even an apron, towel or set of table mats may be perfectly practical.

For the professional

In an age when many mothers are also teachers, a handbag or a pen might be a smart gift for her lifestyle. For working mothers, too, a leather-bound diary, a roomy handbag, an organiser, a case for business cards with her name embossed on the leather cover may be something useful. Then, of course, who wouldn’t like a branded watch, snazzy purse or a pair of earrings or charm bracelet (silver or artificial) which will give her something to remind her of you.

Go online

If you’re racking your brain about what to get your mom this Mother’s Day, feel free to be enticed by the hoard of ads publicised by online shopping websites. From shoes, to designer outfits and cosmetics; from home appliances to home décor items — it’s all available at a click without hassle, ready to be delivered at your doorstep.

Flowers and chocolates

Flowers wilt and chocolates melt in your mouth and add numbers on the weighing scales, but there’s nothing like these two gift items to make any woman’s heart melt. The scent of a pretty bouquet of lilies, roses or tube roses will linger in a room for days, and sinking her teeth into creamy assorted chocolates eaten in the dead of night while reading her favourite book will transport your mom back to her teen days!

Handmade is best! Go the extra mile

The ultimate reflection of your love is to take out the time and dish out the effort to hand-make something, be it a card or a cake. This will give you the opportunity to personalise your token, infuse creativity into your memento and make your mom feel extra special.

You can scour through all your photo albums to make a timeline of your mom’s photographs in the form of a scrapbook or even a photo-collage to hang in her room. Hard copy pictures are a precious rarity today when all pictures are soft images stored away in laptops, digital cameras and cell phones.

A handmade card, a hand-painted picture, pot or mug or even a personalised basket of her favourite things can make her feel appreciated.

Pamper her

It’s the latest fad to treat your mom to a day’s pampering at a posh spa so that she can relish some ‘me time’ while she indulges in a relaxing facial, manicure, pedicure and relieving massage! She’ll come back light as a feather, scrubbed and shining, smelling great, and feeling even greater!

Let her laze!

If nothing else works and you’re too broke to binge on a gift for mom, rest assured, your mother will be pleased as punch if all you do is to let her lie in bed on that particular Sunday and serve her a piping hot breakfast on a tray. A bouquet of flowers handpicked from your garden in a vase along with a handwritten card will be the clincher. Do all the dishes and cook for her and she will relish the celebration forever!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 8th, 2016